Newsom Appoints Tomiquia Moss to Lead New California Housing and Homelessness Agency

SARATOGA, California — Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Tomiquia Moss as secretary of the new California Housing and Homelessness Agency, a department created last year to consolidate the state's response to its persistent housing shortage and homelessness crisis.

Newsom announced the appointment on June 30, following the signing of housing finance reforms included in the 2026-2027 state budget and the Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026. The administration said the new agency would bring a single, coordinated strategy to housing production, homelessness services, and civil rights enforcement.

Moss previously served as secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, where she oversaw 12 entities and more than 40 boards and bureaus. The governor's office credited her with driving improvements to California's housing delivery and finance systems and scaling programs such as Homekey, which converts properties into housing for people experiencing homelessness.

I'm honored to lead the California Housing and Homelessness Agency and to advance the Governor's vision for a more coordinated and accountable housing system. As we expand opportunity, I'm committed to protecting the civil rights of every Californian while accelerating housing production and strengthening our homelessness response.

The new agency includes the Department of Housing and Community Development, the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, the California Housing Finance Agency, and the Civil Rights Department. Federal data cited by the administration shows California reduced unsheltered homelessness by 8,391 people, or 6.8 percent, last year, the largest decline of any state.

Saratoga, a city of about 31,000 in Santa Clara County, sits roughly 10 miles west of San Jose in the San Francisco Bay Area. Housing affordability ranks among the top concerns in Bay Area communities, where median home prices rank among the highest in the nation and state-produced housing units remain in short supply.

Sources: https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/06/30/governor-newsom-swears-in-tomiquia-moss-as-secretary-of-new-california-housing-and-homelessness-agency/